The invention relates to a garment for protection against chemical and/or biological substances with a shell and a lining, arranged under said shell, and with at least one zip fastener. The invention also relates to a zip fastener device for protection against chemical and/or biological substances.
Garments for persons who are exposed to chemical or biological substances or else for whom there is just the risk that they could be exposed to substances of this type, such as in the military sector for example, must be made up in such a way that the harmful substances do not reach the body or underwear of the person wearing the garment.
Garments of this type, such as jackets or pants for example, are often provided with a zip fastener to adapt them to the person wearing them or to make it easier to put them on or take them off. However, conventional zip fasteners cannot be used for garments intended to offer the wearer protection against chemical or biological substances.
The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a garment which ensures that, even when zip fasteners are used, impermeability to chemical and/or biological substances is maintained. In addition, it is intended as far as possible for waterproofness and at the same time breathability of the system to be provided.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the features stated in claim 1.
The configuration of the zip fastener with the two stingers on each zip fastener half, one stringer, that is the outer stringer, being joined to the shell and the second stringer, that is the inner stringer, being joined to the lining, allows impermeability to chemical and/or biological substances to be achieved.
The outer stringer is fastened to the shell in a conventional way. The inner stringer, which according to the invention is joined to the lining or the lining system, generally by sewing with subsequent sealing of the seam by adhesive bonding or fusion, serves the purpose of avoiding sealing against ingress of harmful chemical or biological substances. The inner tape also serves at the same time, along with its sealing function, for relieving the tension of the lining material of the lining layer, which is generally susceptible to tearing.
In addition to or instead of an impermeability to chemical and/or biological substances by means of a corresponding protective layer, which is joined to the inner stringer or is integrated in it, it is of course also possible for the outer stringer to be correspondingly designed.
In an advantageous configuration of the invention, it may be provided for this purpose that the inner stringer comprises a coated woven fabric, for example of polyurethane, onto which the outer stringer is then fused.
The outer stringer at the same time also protects the lining layer from mechanical effects.
The protective layer, which is either integrated in the inner stringer or applied to it, serves not only for sealing against ingress of chemical or biological substances but also for gas-impermeability and waterproofness. If need be, water-vapor permeability from the inside to the outside may also be provided, for wicking away body perspiration.